Butler to the World

The Book the Oligarchs Don't Want You to Read - How Britain Helps the World's Worst People Launder Money, Commit Crimes, and Get Away with Anything

By: Oliver Bullough

Narrated by: Oliver Bullough

This program is read by the author.

In his forceful follow-up to Moneyland, Oliver Bullough unravels the dark secret of how Britain placed itself at the center of the global offshore economy and at the service of the worst people in the world.

The Suez Crisis of 1956 was the nadir of Britain's twentieth century, the moment when the once-superpower was bullied into retreat. "Great Britain has lost an empire and not yet found a role," said Dean Acherson, a former US secretary of state. Acheson's line has entered into the canon of great quotations: but it was wrong. Britain had already found a role. The leaders of the world just hadn't noticed it yet.

Butler to the World reveals how Britain came to assume its role as the center of the offshore economy. Written polemically, but studded with witty references to the butlers of popular fiction, it demonstrates how so many elements of modern Britain have been put at the service of the world's oligarchs.

The Biden administration is putting corruption at the heart of its foreign policy, and that means it needs to confront Britain's role as the foremost enabler of financial crime and ill behavior. This audiobook lays bare how London has deliberately undercut U.S. regulations for decades, and calls into question the extent to which Britain can be considered a reliable ally.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

Meh

Ponderous. I couldn’t pay attention. I lost interest. So I gave up listening after several attempts to listen again

An Entertaining Journey Around the British Business of “Butlering” to the Shady of the World

Well written. Well read. Time well spent. I would recommend to both business professionals and those who are unfamiliar with the world of finance.

Too left-leaning

While this book presents some valid points, it falls short in providing a comprehensive understanding of the broader context and how the world operates. The author's tone consistently leans towards the left of center, often adopting a high-moral stance.

Much to my disappointment, the author deemed it necessary to criticize both Andrew Bridgen and, in a later chapter, Viktor Orban.

Not making connections between the debasement of buttlering and continued acceptance of monarchy

The book reminds me of the movie “the loneliness of the long distance runner” because it won the race of exposing the kleptocracy but it didn’t take its findings over the finish line to the hoi poloi. Instead it ended with a whine and a mother may I.

Excellent, surprising and easy to read/listen to

Great disassembly of the biggest money laundering operation in the world: London, and the UK in general. Well worth a listen, and full of quite a few surprises. Author reading it makes it so much better too.